Knox: 'I did not kill ... I was not there'

Updated 8:24 am, Monday, October 3, 2011

Amanda Knox arrives at Perugia's Court of Appeal the day of the verdict in her and Raffaele Sollecito's appeal of their murder convictions in Perugia, Italy.

Amanda Knox arrives at Perugia's Court of Appeal the day of the verdict in her and Raffaele Sollecito's appeal of their murder convictions in Perugia, Italy.

Photo: Franco Origlia, Getty Images

Image 2 of 12

Amanda Knox, left, talks to her lawyer Carlo Dalla Vedova prior to an appeal hearing, at the Perugia court, central Italy, Monday, Oct. 3, 2011. The 24-year-old Knox looked tense as she entered a packed courthouse. She is expected to address the court in a final plea of her innocence. A verdict is expected later Monday.

Amanda Knox, center, is escorted as she arrives for an appeal hearing at the Perugia court, central Italy, Monday, Oct. 3, 2011. The 24-year-old Knox looked tense as she entered a packed courthouse. She is expected to address the court in a final plea of her innocence. A verdict is expected later Monday.

Amanda Knox, center, is escorted as she arrives for an appeal hearing at the Perugia court, central Italy, Monday, Oct. 3, 2011. The 24-year-old Knox looked tense as she entered a packed courthouse. She is

PERUGIA, ITALY - OCTOBER 03: Amanda Knox arrives at Perugia's Court of Appeal the day of the verdict in her and Raffaele Sollecito's appeal of their murder convictions on October 3, 2011 in Perugia, Italy. American student Amanda Knox and her Italian ex-boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito were convicted in 2009 of killing their British roommate Meredith Kercher in Perugia, Italy in 2007. The jury in their appeal is expected to retire to consider their verdict later today. They have served nearly four years in jail after being sentenced to 26 and 25 years respectively.

PERUGIA, ITALY - OCTOBER 03: Amanda Knox arrives at Perugia's Court of Appeal the day of the verdict in her and Raffaele Sollecito's appeal of their murder convictions on October 3, 2011 in Perugia, Italy.

PERUGIA, ITALY - OCTOBER 03: An advertisement for a newspaper announces the day of the verdict in Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito's appeal of their murder convictions on October 3, 2011 in Perugia, Italy. American student Amanda Knox and her Italian ex-boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito were convicted in 2009 of killing their British roommate Meredith Kercher in Perugia, Italy in 2007. The jury in their appeal is expected to retire to consider their verdict later today. They have served nearly four years in jail after being sentenced to 26 and 25 years respectively.

PERUGIA, ITALY - OCTOBER 03: An advertisement for a newspaper announces the day of the verdict in Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito's appeal of their murder convictions on October 3, 2011 in Perugia, Italy.

PERUGIA, ITALY - OCTOBER 03: Public Prosecutor Giancarlo Costagliola (2nd R) arrives at Perugia's Court of Appeal on the day of the verdict in Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito's appeal of their murder convictions on October 3, 2011 in Perugia, Italy. American student Amanda Knox and her Italian ex-boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito were convicted in 2009 of killing their British roommate Meredith Kercher in Perugia, Italy in 2007. The jury in their appeal is expected to retire to consider their verdict later today. They have served nearly four years in jail after being sentenced to 26 and 25 years respectively.

PERUGIA, ITALY - OCTOBER 03: Public Prosecutor Giancarlo Costagliola (2nd R) arrives at Perugia's Court of Appeal on the day of the verdict in Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito's appeal of their murder

PERUGIA, ITALY - OCTOBER 03: Raffaele Sollecito's lawyers Giulia Bongiorno (R) and Luca Maori (L) arrive at Perugia's Court of Appeal on the day of the verdict in his and Amanda Knox's appeal of their murder convictions on October 3, 2011 in Perugia, Italy. American student Amanda Knox and her Italian ex-boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito were convicted in 2009 of killing their British roommate Meredith Kercher in Perugia, Italy in 2007. The jury in their appeal is expected to retire to consider their verdict later today. They have served nearly four years in jail after being sentenced to 26 and 25 years respectively.

PERUGIA, ITALY - OCTOBER 03: Raffaele Sollecito's lawyers Giulia Bongiorno (R) and Luca Maori (L) arrive at Perugia's Court of Appeal on the day of the verdict in his and Amanda Knox's appeal of their murder

PERUGIA, ITALY - OCTOBER 03: Amanda Knox's sister Deanna Knox arrives at Perugia's Court of Appeal on the day of the verdict in Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito's appeal of their murder convictions on October 3, 2011 in Perugia, Italy. American student Amanda Knox and her Italian ex-boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito were convicted in 2009 of killing their British roommate Meredith Kercher in Perugia, Italy in 2007. The jury in their appeal is expected to retire to consider their verdict later today. They have served nearly four years in jail after being sentenced to 26 and 25 years respectively.

PERUGIA, ITALY - OCTOBER 03: Amanda Knox's sister Deanna Knox arrives at Perugia's Court of Appeal on the day of the verdict in Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito's appeal of their murder convictions on

Amanda Knox's mother Edda Mellas, right, talks to lawyer Carlo Dalla Vedova prior to an appeal hearing, at the Perugia court, central Italy, Monday, Oct. 3, 2011. Amanda Knox tearfully told an Italian appeals court Monday she did not kill her British roommate, pleading for the court to free her so she can return to the United States after four years behind bars. The court began deliberations moments later.

Meredith Kercher's sister Stephanie, left, and her mother Airline, right, arrive at the Sant'Egidio airport in Perugia, Monday, Oct. 3, 2011, to attend the Amanda Knox and Raffaele Sollecito trial. Knox, an American student, was convicted of sexually assaulting and murdering Meredith Kercher, her British roommate in Perugia, and sentenced to 26 years in prison. Knox's boyfriend at the time of the 2007 murder, Raffaele Sollecito of Italy, was convicted of the same charges and sentenced to 25 years. Both deny wrongdoing and have appealed the December 2009 verdict. The Kercher family is expected to be in court when the jury delivers the verdict. (AP Photo/Angelo Carconi)

Amanda Knox's father. Kurt Knox, is surrounded by photographers as he arrives for an appeal hearing at the Perugia court, central Italy, Monday, Oct. 3, 2011. Knox, an American student, was convicted of sexually assaulting and murdering Meredith Kercher, her British roommate in Perugia, and sentenced to 26 years in prison. Knox's boyfriend at the time of the 2007 murder, Raffaele Sollecito of Italy, was convicted of the same charges and sentenced to 25 years. Both deny wrongdoing and have appealed the December 2009 verdict. (AP Photo/Antonio Calanni)

Amanda Knox's father. Kurt Knox, is surrounded by photographers as he arrives for an appeal hearing at the Perugia court, central Italy, Monday, Oct. 3, 2011. Knox, an American student, was convicted of

PERUGIA, Italy -- Pleading for her life Monday, an emotional but determined Amanda Knox called on an Italian jury to free her and former boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito.

A verdict is expected later Monday.

When a nervous Knox stood to address the court, she seemed close to losing her composure. A dropped pin could have been heard in the courtroom.

Her lawyer reached over and squeezed her hand. The judge said she could sit if she preferred, but she took a deep breath and began her remarks. She gained confidence as she addressed jurors for about 10 minutes, telling them of her ordeal, describing how her faith in the authorities had been betrayed, and pleading that they right a judicial wrong.

She has suffered during four years of unjust incarceration, Knox said, insisting she spent the night of Nov. 1, 2007 with her Italian boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito when her British flatmate, Meredith Kercher, was killed, an event she said shocked and scared her.

"She had her bedroom next to mine. She was killed in our house. If I had been there that night, I would be dead, like her," Knox said, her voice quivering at moments. "But I was not there. I was with Raffaele. Thank God he was there. I didn't have anyone. He was everything to me in that moment."

She may have been a little disorderly and carefree, but had a good relationship with her roommates, including Meredith, she said, who often worried about her when she went to work at night. Knox said she had been misunderstood over the course of the last four years and insisted she had nothing to do with Kercher's murder.

"I did not kill. I did not rape. I did not steal. I was not there. I was not present at this crime."

She then said she had no intention of trying to escape from the truth, as prosecutors had implied in the newspapers over the weekend.

"I will not flee the truth. I insist on the truth," she said. "Our innocence is real and deserves to be recognized."

Though less convincing, Raffaele Sollecito also addressed the court, saying how much he had suffered spending 20 hours a day in a 2-by-3 meter cell for more than 1,400 days. At the end of his remarks he took off the "Free Amanda and Raffaele" bracelet he always wears, saying it was a "gift" to the court. He talked of all that it symbolized for him, calling it "a concentrate of various emotions, a desire for justice and the light in this dark tunnel." He urged the jury to acquit, saying he and Amanda deserve a new, hopeful future.

As the morning's court statements came to an end, presiding Judge Claudio Pratillo Hellman warned the court that "this is not a soccer match" and urged all parties to respect the court's decision and remain silent when the verdict is read. It is expected sometime after 8 p.m. Italian time, or 11 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time.